Conventionally known is an automatic vending machine that sells products such as canned-beverages or beverages in plastic bottles and is provided with a product storage column and a bucket. The product storage column stores therein a plurality of products in a manner ordered in a line. The product storage column dispenses one product at a time from the front end of the product storage column when a transport device is driven. In the automatic vending machine, a plurality of the product storage columns are mounted along a horizontal direction on a product rack. In the automatic vending machine, a plurality of the product racks are provided along a vertical direction in a chamber provided to the cabinet of the automatic vending machine.
The bucket receives a product transported from the product storage column. The bucket is provided in a manner enabled to be moved vertically on the front side of the product rack by a bucket driving unit. The bucket driving unit includes an X-axis transport mechanism capable of moving the bucket in the horizontal direction, and a Y-axis transport mechanism capable of moving the bucket including the X-axis transport mechanism in the vertical direction.
In the above-described automatic vending machine, when a user deposits money in a predetermined amount or more and operates a product selection button, the bucket driving unit is driven and moves the bucket to the front side of the product storage column storing therein a product selected to be purchased. Once the product is transported from the product storage column into the bucket, the bucket is moved near a product take-out port. The user is then allowed to take out the product from the product take-out port (see Patent Literature 1, for example).